My love affair with Geyserville
In the summer of 1975, I wandered into the Union Street Wine & Cheese Center and stumbled onto a flight of 1972 Ridge Vineyards wines. My friend Elaine McIntosh was pouring behind the tasting bar, and that is how I discovered the Ridge Geyserville Zinfandels—later to be reclassified as a red table wine giving the winery more flexibility with its percentage of Zin in the blend. A year later, I contacted the winery and sold the 1973s at our family store, Ashbury Market, and my nearly five-decade love affair continues to grow.
Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley 2021 (Tasted: April 19, 2023, San Francisco, CA_
A Tasting at Ridge Vineyards (September 16, 2022, Cupertino, CA)
Early in my career, Geyserville played second fiddle to the winery’s Lytton Springs, and it remained that way for more than three decades. In recent years, these two wines have reversed their places. I searched my notebooks, wine notes on napkins, and spreadsheets and found 18 vintages to tell my story of this iconic wine. I hope to find the missing notes from other vintages one of these days.
· Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel, Alexander Valley 1970. A solid performance, this wine was quite aged when I tasted it at 17 years old. The color had faded into a brick, brown. Yet, it was complex and appealing with its balance of raspberries, floral notes, and power on the palate. Tasted: April 18, 1988, San Francisco, CA (My score: 90 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $4.50
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· Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel, Alexander Valley 1972. From the get-go, the 1972 vintage was maligned in the North Coast and much of California because of the untimely rains. Winery salespersons would tell me, “Our winery was lucky because we picked before the rains!” I would always smile as they poured me their 1972s; I would not tell them what I thought, but I passed on many of those wines. This wine, however, pushed my palate-loving to the point of no return. It was cosmic (a rating that I used in those days), and one of the best wines I ever experienced then and years later. Showing alluring raspberries and blackberries, with just an accent of oak; it was sublime. Tasted: Summer 1975, San Francisco, CA (My score: 94 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $5.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel, Alexander Valley 1973. The Ridge 1973s were the first Ridge wines I retailed. We bought 30 cases including the Lytton Springs, Occidental, Late Harvest Occidental, and of course Geyserville. While I was spellbound by the 1972 Geyserville, I favored the 1973 Lytton Springs over its sibling. This wine showed its powerful presence on the palate. Expressive blackberries and brambleberries. Tasted: April 18, 1988, San Francisco, CA (My score: 90 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $5.50
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· Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel, Alexander Valley 1974. I found soul in this wine. After introductions to the 1972 and 1973 vintages, I was anticipating more from this wine, and it delivered. Complex with nuances of root vegetables, cigar box, cedar, and rose petal nuances, this wine rocked. Tasted: April 18, 1988, San Francisco, CA (My score: 94 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $6.50
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· Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel, Alexander Valley 1976. I tasted this wine several times, and my notes were inconsistent. On this occasion, it was outstanding. Loaded with ripe berries and oaky notes, this was a wine with an excellent upside. Tasted: April 18, 1988, San Francisco, CA (My score: 93 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $6.50
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· Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel, Alexander Valley 1981. Tasted as a three-year-old wine, this wine offers plenty of richness and tannins. The wine’s acidity was excellent and anticipated a long aging potential for it. Composition: 95% Zinfandel, 5% Petite Sirah. Tasted: January 9, 1984, San Francisco, CA (My score: 93 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $8.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley 2002. This vintage showed more spiciness than I had experienced with other vintages. Excellent berries showing on the palate. Composition: 84% Zinfandel, 12% Carignane, 4% Petite Sirah. Tasted: January 24, 2004, San Francisco, CA (My score: 93 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $8.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2008. Tasted as 9+-year-old wine, it appeared to age a bit prematurely. Dried leaves and berries, with oaky notes. It showed the vineyard pedigree, nevertheless. COMPOSITION: 72% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 6% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro (Mourvèdre). Tasted: January 18, 2018, San Francisco, CA (My score: 91 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $35.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2009. Complex and alluring, this wine was outstanding with its nuances of berries and shadings of leaves and mint. This is one of my favorite vintages of Geyserville! COMPOSITION: 74% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane, 6% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Mataro (Mourvèdre). Tasted: January 17, 2019, San Francisco, CA (My score: 94 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $35.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2012. A classic Geyserville, this wine offered active red and blackberries and excellent weight on the palate. It won’t be a long ager but will cellar nicely in the short to mid-term. COMPOSITION: 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro (Mourvèdre). Tasted: November 12, 2014, San Francisco, CA (My score: 91 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $38.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2014. One of the most compelling Geyservilles to that date, this one deftly combines raspberries, blackberries, minerality, gravel, and a touch of American oak. COMPOSITION: 60% Zinfandel, 24% Carignane, 12% Petite Sirah, 4% Mataro. Tasted: February 25, 2016, San Francisco, CA (My score: 93 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $40.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2015. Just when I was getting over how great the 2014 vintage was, this wine was even better! Exciting from start to finish, this one propelled raspberries onto the palate with incredible persistence, and a shading of oak in the long aftertaste. COMPOSITION: 70% Zinfandel, 15% Carignane, 12% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouschet Tasted: February 23, 2017, San Francisco, CA (My score: 93 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $40.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2017. With more than four decades of tasting this iconic wine, it just continues to reach higher heights. This vintage is complete and lasting as it offers long and persistent dried fruits and berries. While it is long and rich, it shows elegance that can only be found in fine wines. COMPOSITION: 68% Zinfandel, 18% Carignane, 12% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouchet. Tasted: February 27, 2019, San Francisco, CA (My score: 94 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $40.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2019. A gorgeous wine showing lush boysenberries and a complementary oak accent. Rich and long on the palate and in the aftertaste. COMPOSITION: 71% Zinfandel, 19% Carignane, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Alicante Bouchet. Tasted: April 16, 2021, San Francisco, CA (My score: 93 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $40.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2020. This is the finest Geyserville I have tasted to date! Formidable from start to finish. Alluring and substantive boysenberries, blackberries, minerality, with shadings of spice and oak. COMPOSITION: 69% Zinfandel, 20% Carignane, 8% Petite Sirah, 2% Alicante Bouschet, 1% Mataro. Tasted: March 27, 2023, San Francisco, CA (My score: 97 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $50.00
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· Ridge Geyserville Red Wine, Alexander Valley, 2021. Just as I was getting over the greatness of the previous vintage the newest vintage along and an equally exceptional effort. I tasted this wine earlier in the year, and this was my second look at it, and it was even better than I originally thought. Packed and well-built with power and elegance. While many Zins boast of concentration, this one brings style and form with its extraction. Tasted: April 19, 2023, San Francisco, CA (My score: 97 Points) Original Suggested Retail Price: $55.00
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My Ridge Geyserville, started when I dropped into a public tasting on Union Street in 1975 in San Francisco, has led to a lifelong love affair with one of the world’s most iconic wines. You may have noticed that I did not include any wines from 1982 to 2001. While I tasted many of the wines, those notes are still eluding me as I continue to uncover my old notebooks, memo pads, and pieces of scrap paper in the deepest part of our sub-basement. While Ridge’s Lytton Springs comes close, my lifelong love affair with Geyserville continues. Let me know what you think? You can email me at Wilfred.willie.wong@gmail.com.
Ridge Geyserville, Alexander Valley 2021
